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Scott Levine

Scott Levine

Scott Levine is an astronomy writer and speaker from New York's Hudson Valley who has loved the night sky ever since he saw the first photos of Saturn from Voyager spacecraft in the early 1980s. His writing has been featured in several publications including Sky & Telescope and Sky at Night Magazine.

Sky chart: labeled line drawing of Spring Triangle and Sickle.

Can you spot the Spring Triangle?

Posted by in Favorite Star Patterns | 3 weeks ago
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As the Northern Hemisphere enters spring, a triangle of stars rises in the east, made up of bright beacons from three prominent constellations.

The illustration shows the sun in the center, and Earth passing between Saturn and the sun.

What is an opposition?

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | 10 months ago
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Opposition marks the middle of the best time of year to see a planet … but why?

What is a conjunction?

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | 2 years ago
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When you hear the word “conjunction” in astronomy, you know it means 2 objects close together on our sky’s dome. This post defines inferior and superior conjunctions, plus discusses conjunctions between planets, stars and the moon.
The blue ball of Earth orbits the yellow sun, and a line extending along the plane made by their mutual orbit is drawn outward toward a starry background.

Word of the week: Ecliptic

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | 2 years ago
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The ecliptic is the path the sun takes across our sky. It’s the Earth-sun plane, and, more or less, the plane of our solar system. Stargazing tip: Learn the whereabouts of the ecliptic in your sky. You’ll always find the sun, moon and planets on or near it.